Warm Welcome, Cold Diagnosis
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Granger rises and offers a warm welcome, but Riker and Worf stiffen, their unease undercutting the cordial greeting.
Two aides enter—one carrying a laptop—while Pulaski steps forward, shakes Granger’s hand, and asserts calm control by introducing herself.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Controlled and attentive—careful not to disrupt protocol while absorbing the implications of Pulaski's question.
Stands beside Granger as his chief of staff when introduced; maintains professional composure and watches the exchange without interjecting, a steady administrative presence as the question lands.
- • Support the Prime Minister and manage the optics of the diplomatic interaction
- • Contain any immediate fallout and keep the meeting orderly
- • Protocol and composure preserve political legitimacy
- • Immediate escalation would jeopardize Mariposa's position and must be avoided
Composed and matter-of-fact—professional curiosity and concern override diplomatic niceties.
Calmly crosses the room, shakes the Prime Minister's hand, identifies herself, and then, with clinical directness, converts the social ritual into a diagnostic query by asking if the entire population is cloned.
- • Obtain clear medical facts that bear on public health and the crew's safety
- • Break through political language to get a truthful answer quickly
- • Medical truth is essential and takes precedence over protocol when public health or ethics are implicated
- • Direct questioning is necessary to prevent misinterpretation or obfuscation
Functionally absent yet suddenly vulnerable—the group's existence is transformed into a public, contested fact.
Not physically present in the office but invoked directly by Pulaski's question; the collective is treated as the subject of intense scrutiny, their uniformity and political status suddenly the central issue.
- • Preserve societal continuity and avoid external intervention
- • Maintain internal stability and the secrecy or explanation chosen by leadership
- • Collective identity and uniform reproduction strategies are necessary for their society
- • Exposure of their status could threaten their political autonomy and survival
Outwardly composed and diplomatic, but defensively guarded—polished warmth masking anxiety about exposure.
Stands leaning over his desk with an extended hand and broad, polished smile; issues a ceremonial welcome, introduces his chief of staff, and when pressed, responds tersely with the single word 'Clones.'
- • Present Mariposa as stable and hospitable to visiting Starfleet officers
- • Control the narrative and deflect uncomfortable scrutiny to preserve political authority
- • Maintaining public composure will prevent panic or external interference
- • Political secrecy (or selective disclosure) is necessary to protect Mariposa's survival and sovereignty
Wary and ready—surface alarm and instinctive suspicion emphasizing potential threat.
Visibly recoils alongside Riker; echoes the incredulous question 'Clones?' with a short, wary vocalization and a guarded physical posture, communicating immediate security concern.
- • Ensure the safety of the away team and the Enterprise personnel present
- • Quickly evaluate whether a security response or containment is necessary
- • Uniformity and secrecy can hide tactical vulnerabilities
- • Unfamiliar societal practices should be treated with caution until understood
Spooked and suspicious—rapidly moving from professional courtesy to guarded disbelief.
Physically tense and ill-at-ease; exchanges a significant glance with Worf, verbalizes the single-word question 'Clones?' as the diplomatic veneer breaks, his face registering alarm and suspicion.
- • Assess whether the colony represents a biological or security threat
- • Protect his crew and maintain command control over whatever response is required
- • Unusual social structure may conceal danger or ethical violations
- • Starfleet must know factual truth to judge appropriate intervention
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
A portable clamshell laptop is carried into the office by an attendant (3C) and functions as a visual cue of bureaucratic administration and potential documentary evidence; it reinforces the formal setting and implies archival or technical data may support or contradict statements being made.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Prime Minister Granger's office serves as the formal diplomatic salon where hospitality and political performance are staged; the room's desk, doorway, and seating organize the power dynamic, providing a platform for both welcome and confrontation as Pulaski's question transforms the space into an ethical crucible.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Riker’s observation of duplicate citizens prompts Pulaski to challenge Granger, leading to the clone revelation."
"Riker’s observation of duplicate citizens prompts Pulaski to challenge Granger, leading to the clone revelation."
"Granger’s 'Not quite a descendant' remark hints at cloning, which Pulaski soon confirms explicitly."
"Granger’s 'Not quite a descendant' remark hints at cloning, which Pulaski soon confirms explicitly."
"Granger’s 'Not quite a descendant' remark hints at cloning, which Pulaski soon confirms explicitly."
"Granger’s 'Not quite a descendant' remark hints at cloning, which Pulaski soon confirms explicitly."
"The uneasy meeting with Granger leads directly to Pulaski’s explicit question and the revelation that the population is clones."
"The uneasy meeting with Granger leads directly to Pulaski’s explicit question and the revelation that the population is clones."
Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"GRANGER: "Welcome to Mariposa.""
"PULASKI: "So, is your entire population made up of clones, Prime Minister?""
"RIKER: "Clones?""
"GRANGER: "Clones.""